Kastoria (regional unit)

Kastoria Περιφερειακή ενότητα Καστοριάς
Regional unit
Municipalities of Kastoria
Kastoria within Greece
Coordinates: GR 40°30′N 21°15′E / 40.500°N 21.250°E / 40.500; 21.250Coordinates: GR 40°30′N 21°15′E / 40.500°N 21.250°E / 40.500; 21.250
Country	Greece
Region	West Macedonia
Capital	Kastoria
Area
• Total	1,720 km² (660 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	50,322
• Density	29/km² (76/sq mi)
Postal codes	52x xx
Area codes	24670
ISO 3166 code	GR-56
Car plates	ΚΑ
Website	www.kastoria.gr

Kastoria (Greek: Περιφερειακή ενότητα Καστοριάς) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of West Macedonia. Its capital is the town of Kastoria.

Geography

Kastoria is situated at the western end of Macedonia in the far north of the country. It borders the regional units of Florina to the north, Kozani to the southeast, Grevena to the south and Ioannina to the southwest. The international border with the Albanian district of Korçë lies on the western edge of the regional unit.

The main mountain ranges are Gramos and Voio in the west (both part of the Pindus range) and Verno in the northeast. The river Haliacmon flows through the area. Lake Orestiada is the largest lake. The regional unit is mountainous with a pronounced continental climate, characterised by cold winters and hot summers.

Administration

The regional unit Kastoria is subdivided into 3 municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox):^[1]

Kastoria (1)
Nestorio (2)
Orestida (3)

Prefecture

Kastoria was created as a prefecture (Greek: Νομός Καστοριάς) in 1941. As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit Kastoria was created out of the former prefecture Kastoria. The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.^[1]

New municipality	Old municipalities	Seat
Kastoria	Kastoria	Kastoria
	Agia Triada
	Agioi Anargyroi
	Vitsi
	Kastraki
	Kleisoura
	Korestia
	Makednoi
	Mesopotamia
Nestorio	Nestorio	Nestorio
	Akrites
	Arrenes
	Gramos
Orestida	Argos Orestiko	Argos Orestiko
Orestida	Ion Dragoumis	Argos Orestiko

Transport

GR-15, S, Cen., NE
GR-20/E90, S, only passes through Eptachori

References

1 2 Kallikratis reform law text PDF

Administrative division of the Western Macedonia Region

Area 9,451 km² (3,649 sq mi) Population 283,689 (as of 2011) Municipalities 12 (since 2011) Capital Kozani

Regional unit of Florina	Amyntaio Florina Prespes

Regional unit of Grevena	Deskati Grevena

Regional unit of Kastoria	Kastoria Nestorio Orestida

Regional unit of Kozani	Eordaia Kozani Servia-Velventos Voio

Regional governor Theodoros Karypidis (since 2014) Decentralized Administration Epirus and Western Macedonia

Prefectures of Greece

By name

By year established

1800s	1833 Achaea and Elis Aetolia-Acarnania Arcadia Argolis and Corinthia Attica and Boeotia Cyclades Euboea Laconia Messenia Phocis and Locris 1845 Phthiotis and Phocis 1864 Corfu Kefallinia Lefkada Zakynthos 1882 Arta Larissa Trikala 1899 Achaea Argolis Attica^c Boeotia Corinthia Elis Evrytania Karditsa Lacedaemon Lakoniki Magnesia Phocis Phthiotis Trifylia

1900s	1912 Chania Heraklion Lasithi Rethymno Sfakia 1914 Thessaloniki 1915 Argyrokastron^b Chalkidiki Chios Drama^d Florina Ioannina Kavala^d Korytsa^b Kozani Lesbos Preveza Samos Serres 1920 Adrianople^a Evros^d Kallipolis^a Rhaedestos^a Rhodope^d Saranta Ekklisies^a 1930–1944 Pella Kilkis Thesprotia Kastoria Xanthi^d 1947 Dodecanese Imathia Pieria 1964 Grevena Piraeus

^a In Eastern Thrace or ^b Northern Epirus, outside present-day Greece.
^c From 1971, Attica consisted of four prefecture-level units: Athens, East Attica, Piraeus and West Attica. From 1994, Athens and Piraeus were grouped into a single super-prefecture.
^d From 1994, Drama / Kavala / Xanthi and Evros / Rhodope prefectures were grouped into super-prefectures.

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